President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. on Sunday vowed the government will ensure the speedy reconstruction of the typhoon-damaged seawall in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte. 

After his inspection of the damaged seawall in the area, Marcos lamented the need to protect communities from storm surges and flooding. Hence, he assured that plans for its reconstruction were “already in place and progressing swiftly.” 

“Mabuti na lang, ‘yang seawall na ‘yan, in process ‘yan, ginagawa na talaga ‘yan. Ibi-bid na pala in two weeks? Three weeks? Ibi-bid na pala ‘yung project niyan, itutuloy na kaya’t mabilis. Hindi na tayo dadaan sa paghanap ng pondo, sa pag-appropriate at ginagawa na talaga kaya’t itutuloy na lang natin  (Good thing that seawall is in process; it's already being built. It will be bid out in two weeks? Three weeks? The project is already up for bidding, so it will proceed quickly. We won't go through the process of finding funds, appropriating, and we're actually doing it, so we'll just continue with it),” Marcos said. 

The President also noted the construction of the elevated road near the seawall would also be prioritized to enhance the area's resilience.

"Kung makita ninyo, may daan na sa may parang seawall—pero ‘yung bago mayroon ng kalsada sa taas. At ‘yun na lang ang itutuloy natin (If you can see, there is a road near the seawall—the new road, the one on top. And that’s what we will continue," he said.

During his visit to Ilocos Norte, Marcos also inspected school classrooms damaged by Typhoon Marce. 

Marcos ordered the concerned national agencies to closely coordinate with the Department of Education to also expedite repairs of the damaged school facilities to ensure that “students can return to school as soon as possible.”

“Hinahanapan namin ng paraan mabilis natin maayos para makabalik ang mga bata (We are looking for a way to fix it quickly so the kids can return [to schools]),” he said. 

Pending the repairs, Marcos urged the DepEd to utilize the established alternative learning spaces to serve as temporary classrooms for the students.

According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, Typhoon Marce affected at least 9,340 individuals, or 2,903 families, in Ilocos Norte, with a total of 540 families, or 1,635 individuals, still staying in evacuation centers.